If you have any concerns about if the pot is large enough, place the garment inside to check it first before you add the water.

You could use cooking tongs to place the garment into the water.

The amount of time that you need to leave the garment in the boiling water for depends on how much you want it to shrink and the type of fabric. [4] X Research source Silk tends to shrink very fast, so simply immerse the silk in the boiling water and then remove it again to shrink it. Cotton also tends to shrink relatively fast. It usually takes 5-10 minutes. Polyester and denim garments take the longest to shrink, so it’s likely that you will need to soak them for 20-30 minutes.

Avoid wringing out the garment, as this can cause the fabric fibers to stretch.

If your garment is already damp, you won’t need the spray bottle or to mist it with water.

Shrinking garments by ironing is great if you want to shrink just one part, such as a collar or a sleeve. Iron shrinking is ideal for cotton, wool, and denim. Don’t attempt to shrink polyester garments using an iron, as the colors will fade and it’s easy to cause irreversible damage. Use the boiling water or washing machine method instead. [8] X Research source

If you are unsure about what temperature to use, read the care instructions on the garment label.

If the fabric dries before you get a chance to iron it, simply mist it again with the warm water. If you have any concerns about the iron damaging the garment, put a cotton cloth over the garment first and then iron over the cloth. [11] X Research source

You can shrink multiple items together if they are all a similar color and the same type of fabric. Cotton, denim, polyester, and wool can all shrink well in the washing machine.

Clothing fibers are stretched during manufacturing due to stress. Hot water releases the stress and the fibers spring down to a smaller size. [14] X Research source

You don’t need to add any laundry detergent to the machine unless you want to wash the garment at the same time. It will shrink regardless. Remember that there is no surefire way to guess how much a wool item will shrink. Some can go from XL to infant size, while others can go from XL to medium, since the fabric is highly unpredictable. If you’re shrinking cotton, you can expect it to shrink by 20%. There’s no need to keep the garment submerged for more than 20 minutes. The shrinkage potential shouldn’t increase after that.

If the garment hasn’t shrunk enough, you can always wash it in hot water again to try and shrink it further.